Equation for love Tony plus Her equals Stalker?
by The Poisoned Quill
Summary: She'd had just about enough, she couldn't take it. Shot in her own lab? Threatening messages to all the men at NCIS? Someone really wanted Abby, and they were making it perfectly clear, nobody could have her. AS/TD pairing.
1. confessions in another language

No one could really say how it began, she assumed it happened as he grew on her. Then again, hadn't she kind of always known? In her own way, she'd know she was different for a reason. He never made mean jokes about her or pretended to be anything but who he was. Countless times she'd watched him leave, his life in danger everytime he stepped out the door, and she was powerless to stop him.

He came down to the lab, that charming grin on his face. She could tell he was exhausted, Gibbs had them up all night again. Just as she knew he was going to ask her if he could relax in here. "Go ahead, Tony." She sighed sadly. Her own thoughts were depressing, even for a goth.

It wasn't your fault, she told herself, taking a deep breath. It wasn't like you asked to suffer from heartbreak, it just happened, as always. And her heart _had_ broken, the day she saw how much he loved his now ex-girlfriend. "The bitch." She signed to herself. It was just cold blooded cruelty.

Tony'd been watching her from where he was, she was ticked and it showed quite well. He'd never been one for sign language, but he recognize a curse when he saw one. Since she didn't realize he was paying attention, he took one of these rare moments to really appreciate her. He used to watch her all the time, but then it was so obvious she had a thing for Mcgee and not him. So now he was content with staring at the forbidden fruit of desire without being noticed. Her hair was down, she'd obviously been planning to go out last night, and it hung past her shoulders delicately. Pale skin contrasted nicely to the blood red lipstick she was wearing.

The white lab coat she always wore fit quite nicely over her cargo pants and tight fitting halter top. When she threw him a glance he closed his eyes, tried to erase all of the thoughts that were beginning to form in his head.

There were many reasons to prevent this from happening, most importantly, rule twelve. That would not be a pleasant conversation with his boss, he could already feel the bruise on the back of his head. Secondly, he knew the proby still had feelings for the woman, that would be awquard.

"I thought you were sleeping, Tony." Her voice was cold, an icy layer that had him sitting up straight. His eyes narrowed.

"What's gotten into you, Abs?" He looked right at her, willed her not to look away.

Damn it, she had to think of a way to get it out without him knowing the whole truth. But that would be hard, how did she not tell him that she hated his ex-girlfriend for putting him through so much pain? How could she explain that she cried herself asleep at night because he didn't feel the same things she did? That she was tired of sleeping with other guys in an effort to forget about him. An idea struck, she peered out the door to check if Gibbs was coming before turning back to him.

Her hands moved fast, signing everything she'd just thought. He watched, confused, wondering if Abby had finally lost it. As he watched her, a red dot appeared out of nowhere. When it landed on her forehead Tony's breath caught in his throat. He jumped at her, shoving her to the ground as the bullet shot mere inches above thier heads. Glass from the window showered over them as he covered her, keeping out of view of the window. From underneath him, he heard a sob escape her throat, though whether it was because of this or what she was trying to tell him, niether could tell.


	2. how many ways can you kill someone?

"What the hell is going on down here?" Gibbs stopped mid-rant when he saw the bullet hole in one of her treasured scanners. "Where is she?" He yelled at a rather confused Tony. He was still trying to calm her down, she was hysterical.

"I'm over here." She got off the floor, glanced at Tony. He had a deep cut on his shoulder that he probably hadn't even felt yet. "Oh Tony, your injured." All hysteria left her body at the sight, it was no longer important.

"Go get checked out by Ducky."Gibbs said simply. When Tony started to protest it took only one look from his boss to stop all attempts. Gibbs waited until Tony was long gone to speak. "Are you alright?" He asked her finally, his voice had softened slightly.

"I'm fine, Gibbs." She nodded, "I was already a little shaken up, this didn't help much." When his eyes were confused she frowned, it wasn't as easy to explain the way she did with Tony. Tony still had no idea what she said, but Gibbs did know sign language, a tool they used regularly. "Don't ask." She grimaced.

She was so down, Gibbs had never seen her this sad, it was a slightly scary to deal with. "Your sticking with us until this is figured out." He decided after a moment of silence. "Your in protective custody from now on."

She nodded, her eyes flicking to the broken window before she layed eyes on her equipment. If she was already sad, this just made it a whole lot worse. It all added up until it felt like a shot in her heart, one that would leave no trace but kill her just the same. As Gibbs turned to leave, she followed him quickly, only majorly terrified to be alone for more than five seconds. They went to autopsy first, Tony was sitting on one of the tables with his shirt off. Ducky was working on bandaging his shoulder.

Abby looked away, not sure she could hide the red in her cheeks. He was staring at her, as if the only thing that mattered was that she was still ok. "Thank you, Tony." She said quietly, not finding her voice for the first time in forever. "For pushing me down."

"Anytime, Abs." He grinned, it was wonderful to believe he meant that.

"DiNozzo."Gibbs snapped. "You are officially assigned to protect Abby until further notice." He left the room without even a word to Abby.

Tony patted the table next him, unsure of herself, Abby sat next to him. It was nice, this easy friendship with him, why did it have to be so hard for her to tell him the truth.

His eyes roamed Abby's face, trying to read the expression he saw there. She was sad again, not a look he liked on her. Ducky finally looked up from his work, met Abby's eyes. He knew, she'd had to tell someone and it had been him. Well, him and Palmer, but Palmer was more like a brother.

"Are you alright, Abby?" Ducky asked her, resting his hand on her shoulder. The double meaning in his words a small relief, at least she didn't have to pretend with some people.

"No." She shook her head. "But I'm alive, the rest I can deal with."

God, Tony groaned in his head, there was nothing sexier than an independent woman who knew exactly what to say after being shot at. Not that he'd ever tell her that, Gibbs would have his head and Abby would get away without punishment. Teacher's pet, he laughed to himself.

She tried to ignore Tony's gaze. There was a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched her. It was unfair, she thought bitterly, how many way can you kill someone? Heart break definately qualified.


	3. jealousy makes us act funny

"Mcgee." Abby grinned as she threw her arms around the agent. He'd met them at the elevator, a concerned expression locked on his face. He kissed her cheek, a reflex that made Abby wince inwardly. Her eyes flicked to Tony, he had started to walk ahead, leaving her with Mcgee. "Um, Mcgee?" She tried to pull away.

"Oh, sorry." He quickly released her, his face a slight shade of red. Silently, she followed after Tony.

What the hell's wrong with me, Tony shook his head. It shouldn't have made him feel like throwing up when Mcgee kissed her. Who was he trying to kid? He was jealous, and that just pissed him off more. With a look that could wilt a flower, he strode into the bullpen.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs walked in behind him. "Why haven't you taken her home yet?"

"I was waiting to check in with you, boss." Tony picked up the bag that Ziva had gotten from Abby's house. "Come on." He rolled his eyes as they walked back to the elevator.

She waited until the doors were closed before looking up at him out of the corner of her eye. "Did I do something wrong, Tony?" She asked quietly.

"Of course not." Tony's expression softened slightly. " I'm angry at myself, not you."

"What a stupid thing to say," Abby glared at him, turning to face him more clearly. "You have no reason to be mad at yourself, I don't believe you shot me."

"I have plenty of reasons." He mumbled as the doors opened.

She wasn't talking to him, he noted once they were in the car, the silence was deafening. Her eyes showed hurt, anger, and just a bit of desire, which left Tony speachless. Somehow she'd managed to become more beautiful, even with black streaks down her cheeks.

She didn't realize he was watching her as she gazed out the window, he seemed to keep his eyes on the road at all times. Angry at himself, she supressed a very humorless laugh, he was hiding something, something he didn't want her to know.

As they pulled up to his apartment, her eyes scanned the building. It was gorgeous, probably very expensive but it wasn't like he couldn't afford it. She followed close behind as he walked easily through the door, being the type of place she'd get lost so easily in. He dropped her bag in the entrance way of his apartment, waiting for her reaction.

It was a good thing he cleaned up yesterday, he chuckled to himself. He watched her as she took a good look around. It didn't seem like much to him, but he was used to it. She looked reserved, he blamed it on the lack of caffiene she'd had today.

"You'll be sleeping in here." He called as he took her bag into a room down the hall. Funny, he thought about it for a second, I don't even know why I thought I needed a second bedroom. When she didn't answer him, he went to find her. She hadn't gone far, she was standing just outside the bedroom door, her eyes glued to a photo. It was of her and Ziva, thier arm's wrapped around eachother in sisterly style.

"I remember this," She smiled a little, not wanting to look him in the eyes. It touched her heart that he would hang it along with his several family photos.


	4. what do you want from me?

"You aren't going to tell me what's wrong, are you?" He spoke finally. "Or at least your not going to tell me in a language I know."

"What do you want from me?" Her eyes were sad again. "You want the truth, Tony? Is that what you want?"

"Yes." He stepped closer to her, not realized what he was doing to her heart. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. What am I stalling for, she grimaced, I've wanted an opportunity like this for so long.

Nervously, she stepped closer, closing the gap between them. She brushed her lips against his as he stood there, frozen. When he didn't react, she was horrified. Almost as if he'd shocked her, she stepped away. Her face was red, her cheeks hot from embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." She hurried to apologize for her actions as he said nothing.

"Abs." He said finally, wishing that she'd just look at him and shut up. When she continued to ramble on, he stepped in front of her again, took her face in his hands and kissed her. His lips were warm against hers, tasting a flavor he'd never experienced before. Her arm wound around his neck, his hand rested on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. Finally, she rested her head on his shoulder as he buried his face in her hair.

"This is what you were trying to tell me?" He spoke when he thought his voice wouldn't betray his desire, he'd never wanted a girl more than he wanted Abby now.

"Yes." She sighed as she inhaled the scent of him, it was a smell that has always drawn her to him, a smell that was so completely Tony. "I've been waiting for this since the day you walked into my lab.

"You never said anything," He murmered, "And what about you and Mcgee." He didn't like thinking of her with another man, let alone a man he worked with. It'd killed him when Mcgee showed interest in her at the beginning, the pain had dulled with time but it never quite went away.

"Jealous, Tony?" She grinned, pulling away just enough to see his face. There was so much there, so much she didn't understand. "We're just good friends, whatever I may have felt for him a while ago is nothing compared to this." She leaned up to kiss him again, showing him what she meant as they took the kiss deeper. Her breath caught as his lips strayed from her mouth and traveled down her jaw, soaking up every sensation.

As he brought his mouth back to hers, his hands slid under the black halter top, exploring flesh he'd only ever dreamed of touching. Her fingers worked to get the buttons of his shirt undone. Each of them moved patiently, savoring every moment. Without taking his mouth off of hers for too long, he led her to his bedroom. They fell on the bed together, she lay on top of him. He pulled her down, kissing her again.

In this perfect moment of unity, they both had found what they were waiting for.

His tired eyes searched for the alarm clock on the other side of the bed, found that it was only four in the morning. The woman in his arms was still asleep, her head against his chest as she dreamed. She was beautiful, he stroked her hair with the smallest of smiles. She was beautiful and she was officially his.

He wondered if he'd ever felt like this, so completely in love with a woman. His thoughts turned to Jeanne, he'd wanted that to be love. But deep down he knew better. Abby was his first real love, and if he didn't totally screw this up, she'd be his last.

"I love you, Abs." He whispered quietly to the unconsious woman, kissing her hair. With that, he succombed to sleep again.


	5. the one person they fear, and his rules

When Tony woke again, he was alone in bed. The clock read six-thirty, he listened to hear the water running in the shower. When he heard nothing, he jumped out of bed, throwing on a pair of sweatpants out of his dresser. He found her in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove. The smell of bacon had him stopping in his tracks.

She was making him breakfast, nobody'd ever made him breakfast on his own stove before. It made him feel warm, like a cat that stretched out a ray of sunshine. He moved forward, tugged gently on one of those pigtails he loved so much. She was already dressed, proving he slept deeply.

A grin spread on her face as she turned to kiss him, her hands in his. "Good morning." She let go of only one of his hands so that she could turn back around to concentrate on breakfast.

"You made breakfast." He murmered, kissing her cheek before stepping away to get out some plates. "I didn't even know you could cook."

"I can't, much." She laughed. "Just the basics." The smile on her lips faded. "Tony, we need to talk."

He set the plates down on the table, turned to look at her. "What about?"

"Gibbs." She sighed as she put the eggs and bacon the plates.

"Yeah." He grimaced as they sat and began to eat. "We can't get past him without him knowing. And he has rules."

"Gah, rule twelve, we're dead." She groaned.

"No," Tony corrected her, feeling slightly amused at the death sentence she predicted. "_I'm_ dead, Gibbs wouldn't even give you a slap on the hand."

"True." She shrugged, knowing she could get away clean. "But he'd still kill you, that's enough to worry about." Neither one wanted to add that someone already was trying to kill Abby. "So, I'll tell him. Maybe he won't be quite so mad."

"Good idea," He smiled a little, "And we'll pick up his coffee on the way to work as well." They'd cleanly worked through everything she'd made and he picked up the plates.

"You need to take a shower." She shook her head as she took the dishes from him. "I'll do the dishes."

He leaned in to kiss her lips quickly. "Thanks, Abs." She chuckled as he turned and left her standing in his kitchen.

Today they'd face hell, each having thier own dilema to face up to. As she began scrubbing at dishes, she thought about last night. He'd thought she was asleep, truth was, she had slept very little last night. In her comfortable position against him, she heard him whisper those words that sent her heart fluttering.

She'd wanted to tell him that she loved him too, but he didn't want an answer yet, or he'd have waited until she woke up. There was a knock on the door, she froze where she stood. What was she supposed to do? Did she open the door? What if it was the shooter?

"Grow up, Abby." She laughed at herself, "If it was the shooter, they'd have just broken in." She let the water out of the sink, began to dry off the dishes. It was against the rules that had been drilled into her head, she could not open the door. Another laugh escaped her throat. "You know there's a problem with you if you know all the rules of protective custody by heart. It's not like I haven't gotten shot at enough times."

"Maybe your just too desirable for your own good." Tony suggested from the doorway. She whirled around, a plate still in her hands. After the second she needed to compose herself, she pointed to the door.

"Someone's at your door." She informed him as a small smile crept up on her face.

He nodded, went to the door. After a minute of silence, he called out to her. "Hey, Abs." His voice was laced with just enough fear to send a shiver down her spine. "We've got a problem."


	6. fires of hell

"What's wrong?" She practically ran to his side, felt his arm wrap around her as she looked down at the flowers that sat outside the front door. They were wilted, probably roses by the looks of them. Worse, they were wilted black roses. A card stuck out, visible to both of them. "Stay away from Ms. Sciuto or risk the fires of hell." Big bold letters practically screamed at them.

Without a word, she pulled out an evidence bag. She'd learned to keep them in her pocket, pure habit. Getting down on her knees, she carefully picked up the envelope and slipped it into the bag.

"What are you doing?" He touched her arm, still a little shocked.

"He means business, Tony." She looked up at him, showed him the fire that dwelled there. "And he crossed a line. This is business for me too, now."

"Abs." His voice softened, trying to comfort her. She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. He knew she tried to hide the tears, he'd caught just a small glimpse. His arms slid around her, as if to protect her from the outside world.

"You have to be careful,Tony." She spoke quietly after several moments, her voice was broken from crying. " When your out in the field today, you have to be extra careful."

"I'm always careful." He pointed out.

"No." She shook her head before she lifted her watery eyes to look into his. "This is different. You have to be careful so that you can come back to me, I love you, Tony."

His heart rolled in his chest, a smile spread across his face. " I love you too, Abs. So I'll promise to behave myself." He gripped her hands. "Now if we don't get going, we're going to be late. And that won't make Gibbs any nicer."

"Right." She looked down at the flowers. "That's too big for an evidence bag."

He bent down and picked it up. After Abby grabbed her purse, they walked to his car. The flowers went in the backseat, they slid into the front. The car ride was quiet again, this time it was somewhat comforting. The building in front of her never looked scary, but now it was terrifying. It was the cave of a horrible dragon, and his name was Gibbs.

"I'll take these straight to the lab." She took the pot out of the back of the car.

"I don't think so." Tony took it from her, laughed when she made a face. "Gibbs would never let you back into your lab, not yet." He waited until she nodded saddly before starting into the building.

Mcgee was waiting for Abby by the elevator, probably expecting a hug. When she just nodded at him, he frowned, this wasn't normal Abby behavior. She'd have hugged him, she was just too busy trying not to freak out. When she saw who she was looking for, she squared her shoulders and planted a big smile on her face.

"Gibbs." She called out to him, he glanced at her over his coffee. Damn, Tony remembered, we forgot to grab the coffee. He nodded at her when she realized it as well. With a small shrug, she turned to face the rest of the team. Ziva was sitting at her desk, watching them expectantly, but her eyes were more for Tony than Abby. On the other hand, Mcgee was watching with equal anticipation. Gibbs just wore the same bland expression he always had when he was waiting. "Tony and I have something to tell you." She tried to keep grinning, but the smile faltered when she saw what both Mcgee and Gibbs had on their desks. She was quiet when she nudged the now very silent man beside her. "Tony." She pointed to a wilted vase of black roses.


	7. Gibb's office

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews, they really mean a lot. No, I just couldn't wait until after they get the guy for them to tell Gibbs, it was already rolling around in my head. So here it is, the completely feared confrontation with gibbs.**

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Her eyes were wide as she turned to Gibbs, "They sent you flowers too?"

"Well, we all work with you as much as Tony." He pointed to the flowers still in Tony's hands.

"Oh," She stood for a second, deep in thought. "I thought it was because... "She dropped off, feeling only slightly relieved that it wasn't just Tony.

"Because of what, Abby?" Gibbs was quickly becoming frustrated, Ziva knew something was up, and Mcgee was standing there with his mouth open.

"Because we're officially together." She mumbled quickly, dropping her gaze.

"What?" He was standing in front of her, his voice still getting louder.

"Boss." Tony warned from beside her, his voice cool and calm. Gibbs stared at her, expecting her to answer his question. It was then she signed, "We're officially together. Sorry, Gibbs."

"And what does together mean?" Gibbs signed back angrily.

"Exactly what you think it does." She spoke out loud this time.

"Tony." He grabbed Tony by the arm and dragged him toward the elevator. "We are going to have a little chat."

"Where are you going?" Abby chewed at her lip, this was not the moment for her protector to be dragged away.

"His office." Tony called back to her. The elevator doors closed on them and she turned back to face the others.

"So," She smiled her best fake smile, "He seemed to take that well." Mcgee shook his head silently, so obviously in a pout, and walked away. Ziva stood up behind her desk, trying her best to hide her hurt.

"Why did you not tell me, Abby?" She leaned forward, giving her that mossad assasin look.

"Your his partner, Ziva. You would have felt that you had to tell him." She shrugged, going around the desk to hug her. "I wanted to tell you, I really did."

Ziva straightened, glanced in the direction Mcgee had walked off. "You hurt him." She spoke finally. "He cares a lot about you. Even if all you can ever be is his friend, he still needs you."

"I know." Abby nodded. She turned and ran down the hall.

He was standing next to the vending machines, his head in his hands. She would have known if he was crying, he wasn't. Though there was definately something off about the way he was hunched. "Tim." She stepped forward, watched his head snap up.

"What do you want, Abby?" His voice was filled with heartbreak, it was in his eyes as well. She just wanted to turn and run, avoiding all of this, but this was what was best.

"I want to know whether or not you hate me." She looked down at the ground, missing his eyes widen in suprise.

"Why do you care what I think?" He was calm and cool now, as if he was adressing a stranger. Waiting for her to think of a convieniant lie, he closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. Her arms came around him, squeezing him tightly.

"Because your my friend, Tim." Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she hugged him. "And I need you to be ok with my decision. I can't lose you."

He hugged her back, content with knowing she wasn't lying to him. "You won't lose me." He grimaced, "But I can't lie and tell you I like your choice."

"I understand. " She nodded as she released him. As she wiped her eyes she was suddenly very glad she'd chosen water proof eyeliner today. There was a small smile on her face as she looked back at him. "How bad do you think it is?"

"Knowing Gibbs, and the fact that your his favorite. It's probably hell in there right now." Tim laughed. This made Abby feel a whole lot better, knowing Mcgee was still there for her.


	8. Fly on the wall

He had to admit, facing Gibbs in that elevator was probably the scariest thing he'd ever done in his life. As Gibbs stopped the elevator, Tony took a deep breath. "Boss..." He started before just one look from Gibbs silenced him.

"What the hell do you think your doing, DiNozzo?" He was furious, Gibbs was not a patient man when he was nervous.

"Abby's special, boss." Tony shook his head when Gibbs opened his mouth to speak. " Just let me finish. She's special. She's brilliant, gorgeous, one of a kind, and I love her. I would never do anything to harm her in anyway, you know that."

Tony was well aware of the hand smacking him against the head, with more force than necissary. "You go back on that." Gibbs growled, a threatening edge in his voice, "And you will not only be out of a job, but I can guarentee that _if_ they find your body, Abby will help me cover up the evidence."

He didn't know what was worse, that Gibbs could say that, or that he knew it was completely true. He gulped as Gibbs started the elevator. "That's it?"

Gibbs kept his eyes foreward as the corners of his mouth curved upward."Yeah, that's it." He successfully scared the shit out of Tony, that was enough to make sure he took care of Abby. It was odd, not to be mad about the fact that they broke a rule. But if there was anybody he felt fit to take care of Abby, it was Tony. And if he failed, well, there was plenty of time to think about that later.

The elevator opened and Tony stepped out, trying not to make it look like ihe was running for his life. He glanced through the bull pen, shocked to find Abby standing there between the two he was sure would mark her as traitor. They were all smiling knowingly. "You lived." Abby stepped foreward and grabbed his hand before looking at Gibbs. "Can I go back to my lab now? I can probably find something that can help us."

"No." Tony's eyes lit up, he would not let her back in that room. This is why she had needed to keep the others close.

"Tony," Ziva stepped foreward. "We need her down there, doing what she does best. She'll find whatever they missed."

"She's right," Tim nodded. "And someone can be down there at all times. There are black sheets draped over the windows. Nobody's going to touch Abby."

"Your lab should be safe." Gibbs stopped Tony before he could protest. "But for the sake of all of us, Tony will go down with you." He turned on Tony, who could find no real arguement. "You _will_ behave and you won't leave her side for any reason."

"Thanks, Gibbs." Abby began leading Tony away. He still couldn't speak as they almost literally ran into Palmer.

"Oh hey," He stuttered, "I, uh, got your mail."

"Thank you, Palmer." She kissed his cheek, taking the pile of mail from him. With a smile she kept walking, released Tony's hand so that she could see what she got. Then she stopped suddenly, a large envelope catching her attention.

It was plain, no adress, just her name in big letters. Tony'd kept walking, not realizing that she'd stopped. When he finally realized, he turned, only to find that she'd dropped almost all of her mail. She was shaking visibly when he returned to her, holding the contents of the envelope in her hands. A picture was on top, they were in a bar, the entire team. Over every one of thier faces was a bold "x", exept for hers, a big red circle surrounded her.

"This is no ordinary stalker," Her voice was hollow. " He knows us."


	9. Someone we all know, even worse

**Ok, so this has taken a turn I didn't expect it to, but hey, i can't write cases so don't expect much of that. Anyway, I've decided to ask your opinion, who should the stalker be? Not that I'm going to listen to your opinion, ok sorry, warped sense of humor, I'm a little out of it. So I've officially proven I'm insane and that's ok with me. But yeah, tell me what you think. **

**P.S. Thank you to all my reviewers out there!! I wont say your my inspiration, because the credit goes to NCIS (Duh), but it's great to know that it's good so far.**

**P.S.S. I don't think I have to mention I don't own NCIS, but just in case, I don't. **

**Yeah well, that's about it, enjoy(Hopefully)!**

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She found herself being dragged the way they'd came. Tony was more forceful than she'd expected, though the situation did warrant it. Fortunately, she was able to pull out of his grasp long enough to catch her breath. "Wait." She threw up her hands before he could grab her again. "I will not be seen dragged down the hallway and I_ will_ go back and pick up my mail. There is no reason to let this guy get the best of us, even for a moment."

"You can't be serious." Tony looked at her in disbelief.

"I am dead serious." She turned and walked back over to the mail spread in a loose, random pile. With a grimace, she knelt down, started collecting the mail. Tony noticed the scattered evidence from the envelope, he hadn't realized he had pulled her so hard that he knocked it out of her hand. As he went to collect it, he took his time reviewing the photo's, all similar to the other one. Exept for one.

It was the two of them, walking toward his apartment building. Across the top were the words "whores rot in hell" and an arrow pointing straight to her. Quickly he hid it under the other photos, choosing to worry about it later.

His thoughts drifted back to Abby as he waited for her to finish. She was worried, just not about herself, and that's what bothered him. She was too busy being worried about everyone around her that she didn't really realize the danger she was in. As if she had read his mind, she was beside him, taking his hand. "Don't worry, I'll be safe if you will."

In her defense, she'd read the wrong clues and came up with the right conclusion. He'd been standing there, his eyes glued to the stack of pictures in his hand. There'd been concern in those eyes, an unspoken fear that she'd responded to. "We have to go show this to Gibbs, you know that, right?" Tony asked, squeezing her hand.

"We'll call him when we get down to the lab." She nodded, "Your wondering why I'm not afraid. Think about it, Tony, how many times has my life gotten threatened? We'll get this guy, we always do, but only by trying. Now," She straightened and looked him square in the eye, a wicked smile on her face. "You can go tell Gibbs, while I just check the envelope for DNA."

"Not nice, Abs, not nice." Tony laughed, hooking his arm around her as they headed off into her lab.

Mcgee knew that look. Something whoever was on the phone said really bothered Gibbs. "Mcgee, David, with me." He rose, walked out of the bullpen. They were at his heels, too afraid of him to really speak.

"What's wrong, Boss?" Mcgee gulped finally, finding that he was more worried about the others than he was terrified of his boss.

"The bastard sent Abby some rather disturbing pictures, they were in her mailbox when Palmer picked up her mail." Gibbs stepped out of the elevator, wasted no time in yelling at the two already in the lab. "Why am I just hearing about this now?"

"Science take time, Gibbs." She was swaying back and forth in her chair in front of her computer. "And we had to have a memorial service for my baby." Indeed, there was a white cross painted on it and a candle lit on top of it. When he didn't see a hole, he stepped forward to examine it more closely, the hole was filled with white cotton.

"Abby." He smiled a little before turning back to her with his most serious expression. "Your still not out of trouble.

"But I will be, oh Great One." She turned to the computer with a knowing smile on her face. "I ran the DNA from that sticky part of an envelope, I personally prefer the already sticky kind, which kind of takes the fun out of sealing the evelope and everything but it really is more sanitary. And I mean..."

"Abby." Gibbs warned, not in the mood for one of her rants. "The DNA."

"Right." She nodded, " Anyway, I narrowed the search to those who work around us, otherwise we'd have all noticed something off if they were always watching us. He wasn't very smart for a stalker, most tend to at least be more of a challange. Point is, I know exactly who he is."


	10. He could not take his Abby away now

**Ok, so here it is, yes I know he probably doesn't really exist. But I couldn't bare to make Palmer the stalker for two reasons. 1) He's an amazingly funny character and way too innocent to do something like that 2) I believe Abby is like his sister, that would be wierd. Thanks again to my regular reviewers for all your kind opinions.**

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"David, DiNozzo, go bring him in." Gibbs barked out commands rapidly, trying to make sense of this. He thought his observation skills were better than that, he must have talked to the man at least several times over the years. "Your not leaving this room." He turned to Abby, who was looking rather confused. "Not for any reason. Lock the door and stay put. Mcgee, with me."

She wasted no time in following Gibbs order, locking the door behind them and turning up her stereo now that she was alone. How could she have been so stupid? It wasn't like she couldn't have figured it out if she had thought about it. He'd been acting strange ever since she broke up with him two years ago. William Marshall had always been sweet and caring, but he was also possesive and just a tad clingy.

It killed her to think just how possesive he really was, he was stalking her. God, that was the worst part, she could have opened her eyes and stopped this. Now, there was a chance that someone would get hurt and it was her fault. The phone rang, causing her to jump. It was at her ear before the second ring. " This is Abby."

"Abs, I'm sorry, we can't find him." Tony's breathless voice was the only soothing thing at the moment. Of course he wasn't there, she hadn't expected them to be able to catch him that easily. As a janitor, he heard pretty much everything. So he'd have known they were looking for him, before they got to where he was.

"That's ok, Tony." She sighed. They were silent for a second, not quite sure what to say now. The silence was broken by someone trying to open her door. "Hey, Tony?" She whispered, not really wanting to know.

"Yeah?" There was an edge to his voice, he knew that tone.

"Did Gibbs send someone back for me?"

"No." The line went dead before he could ask why. He stood there staring at the phone for a moment, she hung up on him.

She acted fast, keeping the music on so that she could move around undetected. Damn it, she thought bitterly, janitors have keys. Running to the back, she closed the invisible door and hid in the corner. When the other door was forced open, she winced. He was coming, she could see him from where she was sitting.

Her elbow hit a couple of bottles, not hard enough to break them, but enough to catch her attention. Thinking fast, she grabbed one and opened, holding it in front of her. There was a crash as he broke the glass in the door, Abby screamed as particles showered around her, cutting her.

"Abby." The man's voice was soft, still somewhat commanding. "It's time to go."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. His pale blonde hair and blue eyes only served to make him look more cruel, almost like a demon too pretty to do any damage. Almost.

"I'm not going anywhere." She shook her head, holding the bottle steady in her hands. He reached down and pulled her up violently, the business end of a gun pressing against the side of her head.

"Your going with me now." His voice was rough, sending a chill down her spine.

Tony knew something was up, but it took him a minute to connect her words and her tone. "Ziva." He turned to look at the assasin. "Something's not right with Abby, she asked if Gibbs sent someone for her."

"Can you be that naive, Tony?" Ziva was already charging for the stairs, they'd be a whole lot quicker than waiting for the elevator. She was already on the phone with Gibbs.

"He's with her, Gibbs. He has her." Her voice was sharp, quick, not wasting any time. Her words rang in Tony's head, causing him to move even faster up the stairs.

William Marshall was not going to take his Abby away from him.


	11. Go Abby!

**This story is almost at an end, sob, but I hope to write one more chapter. Thank you to my reviewers, for being patient with a semi-new fanfic writer**

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There was nothing she wanted more to make him pay for threatening Tony, that was all she could use to fuel her defiance. Nobody threatened her Tony and got away with it. Her courage was hanging by a thread but building more and more as she thought of what would happen if Tony came in here. The gun was hard against the side of her head as she continued to refuse to move. All she could think of was Tony getting shot. She couldn't let that happen. It wasn't clear what made her react the way she did, but she

The bottle came up as she turned her head with a jerk, the gun fell from his hands as the chemicals in the bottle splashed up into his eyes. She kicked it across the room as she acted fast, shoving him back so that she wouldn't get hurt. Grabbing every bottle and object off the shelves around her, she threw them at him, some hit him and some shattered at his feet. When one carefully aimed glass bottle smashed into his head he dropped as the consiousness slid from his body.

Carefully, she stepped over him and grabbed the gun off the floor. Her body was involentarily shaking as she held the gun at her side. She could not think, every part of her brain was simply focused on remembering to breath.

That was how Tony found her when he burst through the broken door. She looked like an angel, standing with a gun in her hands while refusing to take her eyes off of the body in front of her. Only for a second, he let his eyes roam toward William Marshall. She'd done damage, that was certainly a relief, there was nothing that said Abby couldn't take care of herself.

"Abs." He watched her again, took a step forward, "You need to put the gun down now." She looked up at him, only slightly confused for a second.

"I am not going to shoot you, Tony." There was a slight twinkle of humor in her eyes, beneath the fear she hadn't yet shaken off. He was beside her the next second, taking the gun from her as he took her in his arms.

"I didn't think you were going to." His voice was soft in her ear, holding her as she tremored. She turned into him, clung to his shirt as tears finally overtook her. "Shh, shh, Abby, it's ok." He held onto her tighter, "You kicked his ass."

"I was so scared." She choked, "I didn't think I'd get to see you again."

"It's ok." He whispered, "He's never going to hurt you again."

"Oh my god, Tony." She pulled back to look him in the eyes, saw love there that warmed her heart from the inside out. "I didn't care if he hurt me. All I cared about was stopping him before he had a chance to hurt you."

He kissed her gently before someone cleared thier throat. Heat flooded Abby's cheeks as she realized they weren't alone, the others had seen everything. Her eyes scanned over the team, Mcgee and Ziva were watching them with interest while Gibbs seemed to be more interested in William Marshall. Although she was positive she saw the corners of his mout turned upward.

"Are you going to stand there, or arrest him, Mcgee?" Gibbs turned to look at him, "It shouldn't be that hard to do. Abby already did half the work."

Abby left Tony's arms and propelled herself into Gibbs'. As he always did, he returned the hug aquwardly before she released him so that she could hug Mcgee and Ziva. "I love all of you." She kept repeating over and over again, like a chant that will make everything all better.

Mcgee patted her on the shoulder before going to handcuff William Marshall and Abby went to find a broom, while the others debated on who would do what. Gibbs soon took care of the bickering, knowing this was getting nowhere. "Both of you, help clean up all this glass." He walked over to help Mcgee carry the stalker out as they glared daggers at eachother.


	12. Happily ever now

**Last chapter, so sad!!! I really don't like ending stories but it is nessicary. So here it is, the final chapter. T_T**

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William Marshall had not only been interrogated thoroughly, he'd also been denied any kind of medical attention for his eyes. Gibbs had pushed him harder than anyone had imagined possible, in fact, it bordered torture. The lab was back in order, Abby was back at work, using her "boys" to get as much physical evidence as she could. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her with interest.

Only Abby, he laughed to himself, would stay here willingly after the number of times she's gotten shotten at or threatened. He checked his watch, grimaced when it said that it was only 5:30, all he wanted to do was sleep. Sort of.

Unable to resist any longer, he stepped into the blast of the music, wrapped his arms around her as she focused on the screen in front of her. "What's all this?" He smiled as he tried to decipher tech-talk.

"Mcgee got his hard drive." She sipped the caf-pow that sat on the desk next to her elbow. "This guy was insane to the highest level. I mean, he had everything from pictures of all of us together to the brand of purple lipstick I wear. Only thing he didn't know about was us, that happened too quickly for him to realize what exactly I'd do for you."

"Abs," He whispered, just a twinge of regret in his heart, "You could have gotten yourself hurt, it was suicidal." She whirled around, stayed in his arms as she glared at him.

"Don't you think I know that, Tony? I didn't care, I thought you understood that. I don't care if I live or die, as long as your alright." Her hands rested on his chest, felt his heart beat under his shirt.

"I understand, that's what hurts. If you die, I'm not going to be alright. You'd have given your life for nothing." He brushed his lips against hers gently, steeped himself in the sensation. "I love you, Abs, so your going to have to swear that you'll not do something like that again."

"I won't, because you know what,Tony? I managed to fall in love with a movie-obsessed womanizer and that's fine with me." She smiled as she kissed his cheek. "Now, let's go home."

His arm stayed around her waist as she shut down all of her equipment and they stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed he pulled her against him, kissing her passionately before grinning at her with that charming smile he had. "Miss Sciuto," He was suddenly formal in his tone, "How would you like to marry that same movie-obsessed womanizer?"

"No." Her smile dropped suddenly, watched as he stepped away from her. His face was full of shock and hurt. "I said I managed to fall in love with a womanizer, I never said that I hadn't watched him change and fall even more in love with him. No, the man I _will_ marry is a sweet man, who never fails to make a person smile." Her grin was back, laughing at him with her eyes.

"Oh, I see." He rocked back and forth on his heels, "Who's that?"

She threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. "You, silly," She laughed out loud now, "I would like nothing more than to become Mrs. Abigail DiNozzo."

What she didn't know was that Tony had told the others what he was planning a couple of hours ago. And Mcgee, in all of his nerdyness, hacked into the security cameras for the elevator. They were all watching and were waiting for them when they stepped out of the elevator. There was a great big grin on Mcgee's face, a tear in Ziva's eye, and a warm smile on Gibbs face.

As they all surrounded the happy couple Tony knew, you couldn't get a happier ending than this, at least not at NCIS. But Abby knew better, this was not the end, and it wouldn't always be happy, but happily ever now was good enough for her.

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**THE END -THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY LOYAL REVIEWERS, YOUR ALL SO AMAZING!!!**


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